Families' Distress Over Coastal Erosion Endangering Coastal Norfolk Burial Sites
Loved ones of people buried in resting places at risk from coastal erosion argue that a lack of decision on how best to address the problem is causing them avoidable anguish concerning the final resting places of their loved ones.
An Impending Threat to Ancient Graveyards
The council have singled out three burial grounds in the villages of Happisburgh, Mundesley, and Trimingham as being at risk of being engulfed by the sea in the coming decades.
A newly published study on the issue details a series of possible actions, from taking no action to disinterring bodies and reburying them in more secure sites. Officials say it is for local people to determine how to proceed.
“Right now we’re in a state of uncertainty. It causes me distress. My parents wanted this to serve as their last home, but it won't be because of the encroaching sea.”
Estimates suggest at least a portion of one graveyard could be claimed by the sea in the next 80 years, but some locals fear it will happen much sooner. “I think it’s got under 20 years, if you look at what’s happened in the last 30 years,” a farmer stated.
Haunted by the Past
A local business owner recalled a childhood visit to the neighbouring village of Eccles, which has almost entirely disappeared into the water, along with its place of worship and burial ground.
“You could see people’s bones,” she said. “Certain people hold this romantic idea that the deceased will just get washed out to the ocean. That is not the case. People will collect remains as souvenirs and go plundering graves in search of valuables. That is completely disrespectful.”
“I’m worried that the same thing that happened at Eccles will happen here and there’ll be skeletons on the beach. I would feel appalled by that.”
A Paratrooper's Grave in Jeopardy
Further up the shoreline lies the grave of a former paratrooper who died while working abroad. His parent said she lost sleep after learning her child's final plot might one day be moved.
“It truly trouble me to consider this may not remain his permanent home,” she said. “To our family it’s an significant site to visit.”
She believes, new interments should stop but says it is too soon to disturb existing graves. “What I would choose for now is to do nothing and closely monitor, but an early decision must be made when a critical moment has been attained.”
Searching for Solutions and Clarity
The lack of consensus over when and how to tackle the problem has resulted in grieving relatives feeling exasperated and anxious.
Some are calling for more sea defences to slow the inevitable erosion and to allow burials to continue for now. Others contend the time for moving graves is drawing near.
“It is very emotional,” a family member stated. “The council’s report was really good, but now there’s uncertainty about how it is implemented. And everybody is washing their hands over who is accountable.”
A local official confirmed the graveyards were under the care of the local diocese. “Ultimately it is up to them to choose the direction to take. We are here to assist them through that journey with residents.”
He added there was time to consider all the options. “We are talking many years before it begins getting lost.”
“There is no common view on what should be done yet. We need productive community discussions to discover the right solutions for each village.”
The prospect of losing the historic sites was described as one of “immense sadness for the local community,” but church representatives also spoke of a doctrine in life after death, offering a spiritual viewpoint on the temporal disappearance of sacred ground.